More than 10 percent of people 65 and older, including 50 percent of people 85 and older, live at home and need help with activities of daily living usually provided by family members for assistance. Although research has increased understanding of the experiences of aging, and of living with chronic illness, few studies have accessed the meaning for elders of receiving family care. The long term objectives of this research are to (a) lay the groundwork for future research in understanding the perspective of the elder receiving family care; and (b) design and test interventions hypothesized to enhance elders' experience of receiving family care. Interpretive phenomenological methodology will be used. A purposive sample of 12 to 18 elders will be interviewed using narrative accounts of their experiences. Three to five interviews of each elder will be conducted for their life review, details of experiences, and reflection. Observation of experiences or special events will be used to find meanings that escape notice by elders by being so much a part of day-to-day living and not reported in narrative accounts. Analysis will involve an iterative process between narrative and observation text, and the data analysis group's emerging interpretations. Major episodes that shape meanings, central concerns, themes, exemplars and paradigm cases will be identified with and discussed with the data analysis group, which consists of the dissertation committee. Lines of inquiry will follow emerging concerns, themes, and paradigm cases. It is expected that results will inform nurses in their caring practices, providing increased understanding and sensitivity as they approach family care situations. gerontological education curricula and healthcare policy for elders.